Here are the Forum Posting Guidelines. They may be found under "Site Features" (menu at upper left hand corner of this page) under "Content', then select "ArkGeo Documents", then select "Forum Posting Guidelines." -- ORR

Forum Posting Guidelines

There are certain guidelines you should be aware of before you post messages to the ArkGeo forum. It is important to establish some basic guidelines of conduct. In general we will leave it to the ArkGeo community to keep the discussions appropriate. However, while most people are courteous and polite, there are some individuals that choose to behave in a disrespectful and irresponsible manner. ArkGeo will take appropriate steps to keep discussions in line with these guidelines.

Moderation is not an attempt to censor any beliefs or opinions. We simply want to preserve the spirit of an open, interactive discussion. We also expect everyone to use common courtesy and respect while visiting our site. In order to maintain this atmosphere, inappropriate messages or threads may have to be edited, removed, or locked. Examples of posts that may be edited or deleted immediately include posts containing profanity, spam postings, or posts that disclose the tracking number codes for travel bugs. Other examples are discussed in the guidelines below.

Probably the most typical form of moderation will be the locking of a thread. This will take place when a discussion becomes derogatory towards any person, or when a thread digresses to name calling or a series of "I'm right, you're wrong!" type of posts. These kinds of discussions are not productive to the ArkGeo community, and will not be tolerated. When a thread is locked, the moderator will state their reason for doing so. The action should be viewed as an indication that everyone needs to cool down and think things through before continuing the conversation. If anyone has points they feel would be valuable additions to the conversation, they are strongly encouraged to wait 24 hours to start a new thread.

Some things to keep in mind when posting:

- The goal of the ArkGeo forum is to promote geocaching. Therefore, topics in the forum should be of interest to the geocaching community.

- Be polite. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Respect every ArkGeo member and guest on these boards. Whether someone has one post or 5,000 posts, they deserve respect. Remember that this is a public venue read by many people spanning all walks of life.

- Foul language and obscene images will not be tolerated. This site is family friendly, and all posts and posters must respect the integrity of the site.

- Personal attacks or ad hominem attacks (attacking a poster's spelling, grammar, age, education, language ability, etc.) will not be tolerated. If you want to praise or criticize an idea or suggestion, give examples as to why the idea is good or bad. General attacks on a person or idea will not be tolerated.

- Sock puppet accounts will not be allowed. (A sock puppet is an account created for the purpose of posting anonymously.) Use your own account for posting personal opinions.

- Private discussions should not be held in an open forum. Sometimes, a discussion thread strays off into a friendly dialogue or a heated debate among a very small number of users. For these exchanges, use the "Private Message" or "Email" feature. Public forum posts should be reserved for matters of interest to the general community.

- Commercial postings/solicitations are not allowed. Commercial content as a direct or indirect (either intentional or non-intentional) attempt to solicit customers through a forum post will be edited or deleted.

Forum moderators are volunteers that give up their time to help build a better ArkGeo community. They will assist with focusing topics and enforcing guidelines. They have the ability to edit/delete posts, to move, close or delete topics, and to temporarily moderate users’ posts. They also have the responsibility to respect the rights and wishes of the ArkGeo community over and above those of any particular individual. Since “the community” is made up of a conglomeration of individuals with differing opinions and points of view, the moderators realize that the actions taken to fulfill this responsibility will not always be popular with every member.

Please remember that any messages you post will stay available to the public for as long as this discussion board is online. Post carefully! Once you have posted your message it is here to stay. Moderators will not edit what you wrote unless it does not conform to the above guidelines. If a moderator edits your post and you do not like the changes, we will delete the message at your request.

If you have an issue with a specific post/topic on this board, please notify a moderator, who will review the post and edit/delete if necessary.

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